No Apologies

Last night my husband made an apple crisp for me to take to the viewing for my friend's mother. He is in search of the perfect apple crisp recipe and tried one from our tried and true Betty Crocker cookbook. It was fantastic, but he thought he might have done something wrong while following the recipe.

Julia Child had something to say about being unsure about trying something new. In "My Life in France", she relates an occasion where she made lunch for a friend. The menu was simple and something she was familiar with, but she had to make some substitutions because she couldn't get the right ingredients. She said that she knew right away that the combination she chose was a mistake. So did her friend. But Julia does not believe in apologizing for her food, even for the mistakes. And she did not publicize it when she was unfamiliar with a recipe. So they ate lunch and visited, and both knew that the food was not that good. Julia learned from her mistake, but she did not embarass herself or her friend with apologies and explanations. Julia felt that it created uneasiness in a guest to share your feeling of failure because something didn't work out in the kitchen. She would serve her food as best as she could and move on.

So, we learn. Don't point out your mistakes, your unmatched points, your missed attempts. Live with the imperfection and continue to try to improve your craft.

Live with the apple crisp the way it turns out.